Stephen Thompson, right, works out ahead of his UFC 205 mixed martial arts bout against Tyron Woodley during an open workout, Wednesday at Madison Square Garden in New York. Woodley will square off against Thompson during their match on Saturday.Julio Cortez / AP

UFC 205 has far more to offer than just Conor McGregor; its quality is such that it may just spark the next MMA boom.

If there is going to be a second serious boom period for the UFC — and I think there will be — Saturday’s UFC 205 pay-per-view could very well be the jumping-off point.

This weekend’s event, the first in New York City after a long struggle to get mixed martial arts legislated in the state, is the most loaded fight card the organization has ever delivered. The six-fight main card features three championship bouts and is capped by featherweight champion Conor McGregor attempting to make history by becoming the first person to hold two UFC titles simultaneously. In order to accomplish the feat, he’ll have to get through gritty veteran Eddie Alvarez, who won the lightweight title with a first-round stoppage win over Rafael dos Anjos in July.

UFC 205 is the perfect fight card to serve as an entry point and start of an MMA infatuation for new fans: a collection of tremendous matchups featuring eight current or former champions, many of whom have serious “this should be fun” potential.

It’s not just the presence of the trash-talking, instant-classic-delivering Irishman McGregor that ratchets up this card’s potential, either.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk, the UFC strawweight champion, will be fighting this Saturday at UFC 205 in New York City.Jack Boland /
Jack Boland/Toronto Sun

Strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk has the style and swagger to convert newcomers into fans in an instant. Stephen Thompson, who faces Tyron Woodley for the welterweight title in the penultimate bout of the evening, is the current incarnation of “The Karate Kid” and riding a seven-fight winning streak.

Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone uncorked a four-strike combination straight out of Street Fighter V to finish Rick Story last time out and is always a must-see performer, while Miesha Tate is both a bad-ass and beautiful, which, let’s be real, appeals to the male demographic.

Former champ and perennial contender Frankie Edgar is on the prelims; so is undefeated Dagestani lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov, who has been known to suplex his opponents around the Octagon.

This event carries all the factors that usually produce massive pay-per-view buys (big names and big fights, plus intrigue and anticipation) and the fact that it is the first event at Madison Square Garden has upped the ante in terms of media coverage. More people are buzzing about this fight than any other this year, including UFC 200 in July, and McGregor’s rematch against Nathan Diaz a month later.

For fight fans and the promotion, this was always going to be an event that earns a special annotation in the history books, as bringing the sport to the Big Apple has been a major battle that produced a great deal of heartache before finally getting the green light earlier this year. But while everyone anticipated the organization stacking the deck for its debut at MSG, this card exceeds all expectations.

Khabib Nurmagomedov of Russia addresses the media during UFC 205 Ultimate Media Day at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday in New York City.Michael Reaves /
Getty Images

But being in New York generates a different level of interest and intrigue from beyond the MMA bubble than typical pay-per-view events do. Everything may be bigger in Texas, but the lights shine brighter in New York City and the gravitational pull of this show has drawn in media that wouldn’t otherwise focus on the sport.

And greater media coverage creates the opportunity for UFC 205 to become a point of permanent entry for fans who traditionally parachute in for the biggest events (or to watch the biggest names), or those who are just tuning in for the first time.

Every longtime fight fan can tell you when they got hooked. For me, it was renting UFC 1 and UFC 2 from Jumbo Video, watching them with my brother, then spending the rest of the night attacking each other with guillotine chokes. I also remember tuning in for the fight between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar on the first Ultimate Fighter Finale, largely considered the starting point of the last UFC boom, and knowing that I was watching something important.

I feel that same way heading into UFC 205.

Big names, big fights and the biggest card to date in the city that never sleeps. Something special is about to happen on Saturday.

E. Spencer Kyte covers MMA for The Province and hosts the Keyboard Kimura Podcast. Follow him on social media (@spencerkyte) and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher.

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